Chad Gadya

Search Library

This is an Aramaic folk song for Passover that dates back to at least the 1500s. The one little goat is an allegory for the Hebrew nation, "purchased" or redeemed by Adonai for two pieces of money. Some say the two zuzim represent the two Tablets of the Law; others say the two coins represent Adonai redeeming the people through Moshe and Aaron.

The sequence of creatures and things that follows illustrates the Jewish people's persecution and oppression at the hands of a sequence of conquerors (Assyria, Babylonia, Macedonia, Rome, the Saracens, the crusaders...) who were then conquered themselves. At the end of the sequence is the Blessed Holy One, who has ensured our survival even as enemies have sought to oppress us through the generations.

חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא
דְּזַבִּין אַבָּא בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי
חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא
וְאָתָא שׁוּנְרָא וְאָכְלָה לְגַּדְיָא
וְאָתָא כַלְבָּא וְנָשַׁךְ לְשׁוּנְרָא דְּאָכְלָה לְגַּדְיָא
וְאָתָא חוּטְרָא וְהִכָּה לְכַלְבָּא דְּנָשַׁךְ לְשׁוּנְרָא דְּאָכְלָה לְגַּדְיָא
וְאָתָא נוּרָא וְשָׂרַף לְחוּטְרָא דְּהִכָּה לְכַלְבָּא דְּנָשַׁךְ לְשׁוּנְרָא דְּאָכְלָה לְגַּדְיָא
וְאָתָא מַיָּא וְכָבָה לְנוּרָא דְּשָׂרַף לְחוּטְרָא דְּהִכָּה לְכַלְבָּא דְּנָשַׁךְ לְשׁוּנְרָא דְּאָכְלָה לְגַּדְיָא
וְאָתָא תוֹרָא וְשָׁתָה לְמַיָּא דְּכָבָה לְנוּרָא דְּשָׂרַף לְחוּטְרָא דְּהִכָּה לְכַלְבָּא דְּנָשַׁךְ לְשׁוּנְרָא דְּאָכְלָה לְגַּדְיָא
וְאָתָא הַשּׁוֹחֵט וְשָׁחַט לְתוֹרָא דְּשָׁתָה לְמַיָּא דְּכָבָה לְנוּרָא דְּשָׂרַף לְחוּטְרָא דְּהִכָּה לְכַלְבָּא דְּנָשַׁךְ לְשׁוּנְרָא דְּאָכְלָה לְגַּדְיָא
וְאָתָא מַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת וְשָׁחַט לְשׁוֹחֵט דְּשָׁחַט לְתוֹרָא דְּשָׁתָה לְמַיָּא דְּכָבָה לְנוּרָא דְּשָׂרַף לְחוּטְרָא דְּהִכָּה לְכַלְבָּא דְּנָשַׁךְ לְשׁוּנְרָא דְּאָכְלָה לְגַּדְיָא
וְאָתָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וְשָׁחַט לְמַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת דְּשָׁחַט לְשׁוֹחֵט דְּשָׁחַט לְתוֹרָא דְּשָׁתָה לְמַיָּא דְּכָבָה לְנוּרָא דְּשָׂרַף לְחוּטְרָא דְּהִכָּה לְכַלְבָּא דְּנָשַׁךְ לְשׁוּנְרָא דְּאָכְלָה לְגַּדְיָא

Chad gadya, chad gadya
Dizabin aba bitrei zuzei.
Chad gadya, chad gadya

V'ata shunra v'akhlah l'gadya...
V'ata khalba v'nashakh l'shunra, d'akhlah l'gadya...
V'ata chutra, v'hikkah l'khalba, d'nashakh l'shunra, d'akhlah l'gadya...
V'ata nura, v'saraf l'chutra, d'hikkah l'khalba, d'nashakh l'shunra, d'akhlah l'gadya...
V'ata maya, v'khavah l'nura, d'saraf l'chutra, d'hikkah l'khalba, d'nashakh l'shunra, d'akhlah l'gadya...
V'ata tora, v'shatah l'maya, d'khavah l'nura, d'saraf l'chutra, d'hikkah l'khalba, d'nashakh l'shunra, d'akhlah l'gadya...
V'ata ha-shochet, v'shachat l'tora, d'shatah l'maya, d'khavah l'nura, d'saraf l'chutra, d'hikkah l'khalba, d'nashakh l'shunra, d'akhlah l'gadya...
V'ata mal'akh ha-mavet, v'shachat l'shochet, d'shachat l'tora, d'shatah l'maya, d'khavah l'nura, d'saraf l'chutra, d'hikkah l'khalba, d'nashakh l'shunra, d'akhlah l'gadya...
V'ata ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu, v'shachat l'mal'akh ha-mavet, d'shachat l'shochet, d'shachat l'tora, d'shatah l'maya, d'khavah l'nura, d'saraf l'chutra, d'hikkah l'khalba, d'nashakh l'shunra, d'akhlah l'gadya...

One little goat, one little goat
That my father bought for two zuzim
One little goat, one little goat

Along came a cat and ate the goat...
Along came a dog and bit the cat...
Along came a stick and beat the dog...
Along came a fire and burned the stick...
Along came water and put out the fire...
Along came an ox and drank the water...
Along came the butcher and slaughtered the ox...
Along came the angel of death and slew the butcher...

Along came the Blessed Holy One and smote the angel of death who slew the butcher who slaughtered the ox that drank the water that put out the fire that burned the stick that beat the dog that bit the cat that ate the goat that my father bought for two zuzim.

haggadah Section: Songs

Source: Traditional